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Burke County seeks $468,743 in federal COPS grant for school security; county to provide $40,000 cash match
Summary
County staff asked commissioners to support a joint COPS grant application with Burke County Public Schools that would fund cameras, portable metal detectors, badge systems and additional lighting; the project total is $624,991 with a proposed award of $468,743 and a local match of $156,248 (county share $40,000).
County grant staff told commissioners on Nov. 3 that Burke County and the schools have applied for a competitive COPS (Stop School Violence Act) grant to fund safety upgrades across the district.
Lindsay Stockman, grant program manager, said the total project cost is $624,991, with an expected federal award of $468,743 and a required local match of $156,248. She said the county’s cash contribution would be $40,000, with the remainder of the match coming from school capital reserves. “The grant award that we hope to accept will be $468,743 with a local match that we will share with the public school system of $156,248,” Stockman said.
Planned uses described by staff include additional lighting at Ridge/Reapark (county portion), portable metal detectors for athletic-field entries, expanded camera coverage (including some buses), and badge‑access upgrades for staff. The schools plan to prioritize high schools first and work down through other grades as funds allow; the grant would cover three years of work.
Commissioners and staff clarified the local match composition: county funds will be cash rather than in‑kind, and much of the schools’ share will come from their capital reserves. County manager said other grant efforts are underway (including an effort to add SROs via a separate grant) and described the COPS funding as one of several pathways to advance school security priorities.
Next steps: staff said the county will proceed with the application process and bring the grant acceptance and budget amendment to the commissioners for action if the award is made. The item will remain on the decision agenda.
